|
 The
Finale music notation products are incredibly powerful, flexible tools
for writing music, but as a result of their abilities their controls
are in some cases equally complex and confusing. In The Finale
Projects, a new tutorial workbook by Tom Carruth,
the writer attempts to take Finale users through the program with ten
chapters dedicated to the most common and useful parts of Finale.
{mosimage}The
Finale music notation products are incredibly powerful, flexible tools
for writing music, but as a result of their abilities their controls
are in some cases equally complex and confusing. In The Finale
Projects, a new tutorial workbook by Tom Carruth,
the writer attempts to take Finale users through the program with ten
chapters dedicated to the most common and useful parts of Finale .
Beginning with basic note entry, and score setup, Carruth
continues with chapters on advanced formatting techniques, jazz related
scoring techniques, percussion scoring, and the creation of tests,
worksheets, and exercises for classroom use. A book of this type has
been badly needed for years, following many of the styles and visual
cues that have been used for years in the "For Dummies" series. The
Finale Projects is by no means meant for beginners alone however. The
information and hints provided in the books many tutorials cover topics
that will increase almost any Finale user's productivity.
Hundreds of Common Finale Questions Answered In One Book
For most amateur Finale users this book will easily eclipse the usability of the PDF
manuals that come with the Finale software. Almost every problem or
question that an amateur user of the program could have is answered
cleanly and clearly. The table of contents and index are well written
and organized, allowing the reader to quickly jump to the section that
he or she is looking for answers on.
In
a classroom setting The Finale Projects would make an excellent
textbook for a Finale based music composition class. The book includes
a Flash based video tutorial that has sections corresponding to each of
the book's chapters. The video tutorials are not simply verbatim
demonstrations of the information in the book, instead they expand upon
the information, providing more direct examples of the more difficult
topics.
Finale Cross Version Compatibility Causes Confusion At Times
While
the breadth and scope of the content in this book is very good, at
times the differences between the various versions and platforms of
Finale make the tutorials confusing. In almost every tutorial multiple
sets of instructions must be provided for Finale 2006, 2007, 2008, or
Mac vs. PC configurations. These many different keyboard shortcuts or
differences in screen layouts lead the reader to get confused at times
when progressing through a tutorial. While this confusion is the
inherent result of the different versions of the Finale software, this
reader wishes that the author had found a better way to present such
version specific information. Still, the overall usefulness and
readability of this book and accompanying CD make it well worth the
$39.95 sticker price.
The Finale Projects is available through the publisher, GIA Music .
|
Educational Articles 
